4 ToR a Sense and sensibility: Bringing consistency to the use of
4.3 Adopted approach
A systematic review of the major policy drivers and high level international agree‐
ments was carried out. Documents considered included the UN Convention on Bio‐
logical Diversity, the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive, OSPAR and HELCOM documents, and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (Table 4.3.1). The review identified 185 ecological terms which were used in the high level policy documents and their supporting texts. For each of these we con‐
sidered whether a formal definition was given, and if so the original source. This ini‐
tial list was reduced slightly following a peer review process focusing on the ecological basis of the terminology and the context of their use as high level policy terms (Appendix 1). We also carried out a second phase search of all the high level policy documents and their supporting texts for nine key terms (Table 4.3.2) which appeared repeatedly in several of the documents. This was to ensure that all occur‐
rences of these important terms had been captured.
The remaining terms were further categorized by their use into terms relating to:
1) ecological concepts;
2) descriptors of the environment and its status (including reference states, thresholds);
3) environmental management strategies;
4) impacts or pressures on the system (including limits to impacts);
5) ecological scales, i.e., stock, population, geographical units and 6) ‘other’.
The terms in each category were then considered by a group of technical experts who considered the degree of congruence in definitions, ability to underpin practical management and their scientific basis.
We next undertook a more in‐depth investigation of the implications for practice and implementation, of the differences among agencies in their definitions (or implicit meanings) of two sets of terms: ‘ecosystem health/status/condition’ and ‘adverse im‐
pacts’ (Section 4.9). Finally, for one national jurisdiction, a series of short case histo‐
ries are summarized, reporting successes and challenges that have been encountered in making policy and management decisions using these concepts (Section 4.10).
For many terms, following the analysis of definitions and usage, WGECO selected a definition or otherwise proposes an interpretation or usage that is considered ecol‐
ogically sound and practical to implement. This is not intended as encouraging ICES to ignore an agency’s stated definition when responding to a request for advice from a particular agency. Rather, in cases where the intended interpretation of the term is not explicit in a request, the recommended definition or interpretation would be a reasonable basis for ICES work.
Table 4.3.1 High level sources reviewed for their use of terminology. Documents marked * indi‐
cate secondary sources which were reviewed subsequent to the key documents.
SOURCE ABBREVIATION USED DOCUMENT AND REFERENCE
Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas.
ASCOBANS ASCOBANS‐Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (2008).
UN Convention on Biological Diversity
CBD Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)
EU Common Fisheries Policy
CFP *Green paper ‐ The future of the Common Fisheries Policy, Brussels 2001 (CEC, 2001)
COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2371/2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy CR (EC) No 2371/2002
*COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1967/2006 concerning management measures for the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean Sea CR (EC) No 1967/2006
* Reflections on further reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, 2008 CEC (2008a)
*The role of the CFP in implementing an ecosystem approach to marine management, Brussels 2008COM (2008) 187 CEC (2008b)
SOURCE ABBREVIATION USED DOCUMENT AND REFERENCE
FAO FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing FAO (1995)
The ecosystem approach to fisheries. Issues, terminology, principles,
HD COUNCIL DIRECTIVE (EC) 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.
ICES ICES ICES WGECO reports (2003; 2004; 2005a; 2006; *2008) ICES CRR reports (*1992; *2005b; *2005c)
EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive
MSFD EC (2008) Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy ( Council Directive, 2008)
Oslo‐Paris Commission
OSPAR Annex V in: the OSPAR Convention: On the Protection and Conservation of the Ecosystems and Biologically diversity of the
WFD COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for
CCALMR CCALMR (1980)
*Fabra and Cabron (2008)
SOURCE ABBREVIATION USED DOCUMENT AND REFERENCE
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas
UNCLOS and UNFSA
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UN, 1983).
*UN Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UN, 1995)
http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_over view_fish_stocks.htm (UN, 2005)
*UN Resolution A/61/105. Sustainable fisheries, including through the 1995 Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and related instruments
*UNECE (2003). Protocol on strategic environmental assessment to the Convention on environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context.
http://www.unece.org/env/eia/sea_protocol.htm
Table 4.3.2. The 9 terms used in the second phase of analysis of policy documents (Section 4.7).
MAJOR SEARCH TERM ADDITIONAL SEARCH TERMS
Resilience Recovery/Recover/Resistance
Habitat ‐
Integrity ‐
Functioning Ecosystem functions / Ecological functions / Function Sensitivity Vulnerability
Ecosystem approach Ecosystem based approach to (fishery) management Precautionary Precautionary Principle/Precautionary Approach Sustainable Sustainability/Sustainable use
Protected Areas Marine Protected Areas